Is E85 Really Worth It?

[NGOT8R]

Yes. I've ran corn on my 18 GT A10, my 19SS A10 and now my 20 GT 6sp. I don't run pump gas unless absolutely necessary. Talk about inconsistent. It was next to impossible to not get knock retard on the best 93 around here. Logs were always garbage. Switched to corn 4 years ago and haven't looked back. No knock, more power, cleaner and cheaper by the gallon.

I do think I noticed the power increase in the lower RPM's on the A10 more so than on my 6sp. But that's just SOTP.

Do you like your 6 speed much better than the A10?

Sponsored

 

[NGOT8R]

I run on my Lund Flex Tune darn near all of the time. I won’t run my E85R tune unless it tests out at 85% or higher. I know some users are okay with running theirs at 75% ethanol content, but as for me, I want to be absolutely certain that I have as large of a safety margin as possible (especially with a power adder).

Oh yeah, did I forget to say that I do think it’s worth it to run E85? More power and a cleaner burn in the combustion chamber alone is worth running it. Have a look here for yourself.

 

[TnWHTMARE]

Do you like your 6 speed much better than the A10?

My A10 was sweet in many ways and certainly felt and was faster. But changing over to a manual trans, for me, made this a completely different car and my most favorite car I have ever owned.

The A10 is wicked fast and I do kinda miss that but I honestly just got so caught up in the "fastness" that I forgot about the endearing and engaging characteristics of the manual. And again, while the A10 was a fantastic choice (and the only one IMHO if your drag racing) on a day in and day out basis, even the speed cant make up for just being more involved and in control of the car in general. I know I dont speak for everyone here and not even for myself at one point but after a while, the lack of engagement with the car overshadowed the acceleration.

I absolutely love my manual 5.0. I look forward to driving every single day. But again, we all have different priorities and if those things dont matter as much to you, then by all means, the A10 is awesome.

 

[NotQuiteAverageJoe]

Hey Everyone,

I know that this topic is all over these forums but I wanted to see where peoples mindsets were at with gas prices on the rise.

I have a 16 GT, I recently installed the Ford Performance Power Pack 2 on it a few months ago, and while that woke the car up, I am getting bit by the power bug again. I am strongly considering supercharging within the next two years but for the immediate future I have been eyeing E85 as the next step. I hear so much hype and see so many posts about E85 on these forums. I wanted to ask a few questions about the topic.

1: Is E85 really worth it on a N/A 5.0?
2: Where in the power band will you feel the difference of E85?
3: I just have Power Pack 2 (Intake, 91 Octane Tune, GT350 TB) and a Catback so what would I need to run E85?
4: What effect on reliability does E85 have, and would you recommend it to someone who daily's their car in the summer?

I understand there are dozens of posts about all of these topics on here, but fuel in general is almost double the price now vs. when those posts were made, so maybe opinions have changed?

1) Yes it is. I haven't out mine on the dyno yet, but there are vids that show a 25-30HP gain solely from switching from 93 to E85 on a bolt on 18+.
2) My butt dyno isn't great, but on E85 with an auto in sport mode I usually don't get much wheel spin on 93, but I got some a bit of it on the E85 and 3000-5000 felt faster.
3) I believe on the 16 you would need fuel injectors, and on any Mustang you would need a tune. My 93 tune runs about a 14.1 A/F ratio, while E85 ran 9.8-10.0 if I remember correctly.
4) I only ran on E85 for about a month, but didn't have any issues, always used the same gas station though.


Other things to think about. If you swap to E85 you need to run the car down as close to E as possible before swapping. Park @ the pump if possible and make sure your tune loads before filling up. I filled up with l think like 15 gallons of E85 or so and then moved car to park and sit @ idle for 10-15 minutes. During idle time and for the fist few miles the car ran a little rough, but after a few miles it ran smooth.

E85 runs cooler and higher octane than 91/93, but it is more corrosive and if your car sits for extended periods the fuel can absorb water which would cause issues.

 

[Redfuzzbutt]

For those that get E85 in a barrel/drum, who do you use and what does it run you?

Quick Google search yields results for E85R only, can't find just E85. And for the R stuff, it's super expensive when not specifically using it for track/strip days.

I live in an area where E85 is not available via gas stations (northern AZ).

 

[NGOT8R]

For those that get E85 in a barrel/drum, who do you use and what does it run you?

Quick Google search yields results for E85R only, can't find just E85. And for the R stuff, it's super expensive when not specifically using it for track/strip days.

I live in an area where E85 is not available via gas stations (northern AZ).

I haven’t ordered a 55 gal. drum, but ai have ordered six 5 gal. pails of One Ethanol S and it ran me $394 delivered.

 

[Jhonda]

I love e85, I can stand when I have to switch back to 93. Plus I can get pump e85 that cost 2.23 vs 93 is 3.49 around my house.

 

[SilverStallion]

I would recommend going E85. Makes the car drive totally different. Acceleration on the low end a lot quicker then 93. All around its way faster. Can get about 10 degrees more timing with E85. I've had to switch back to 93 a few times and I complete hate the way my car feels Sluggish.

I have a 15 GT and all I needed to change was the injectors. Went with LU47's cause someone on here was selling them for a steal. Been on E85 for about 2 years no issues. Finding a good tuner is key. Cause of the EPA being assholes I won't put on here who tuned my car but I don't regret it.

 

[Elvis67]

My 19 loves it !! I run the pbd e85 flex tune ..the is still a little expensive here in California

 

[NoahsArk117]

I would recommend going E85. Makes the car drive totally different. Acceleration on the low end a lot quicker then 93. All around its way faster. Can get about 10 degrees more timing with E85. I've had to switch back to 93 a few times and I complete hate the way my car feels Sluggish.

I have a 15 GT and all I needed to change was the injectors. Went with LU47's cause someone on here was selling them for a steal. Been on E85 for about 2 years no issues. Finding a good tuner is key. Cause of the EPA being assholes I won't put on here who tuned my car but I don't regret it.

Do you think e85 is a safe mod to run? I'm on the fence at this point and the only thing stopping me is the potential risk to my engine.

 

[LOL WUT]

Another thumbs up for E85 here. Recently came off my flex tune and on to the E85R tune and the car rips.

 

[SilverStallion]

Do you think e85 is a safe mod to run? I'm on the fence at this point and the only thing stopping me is the potential risk to my engine.

Yes, I do add about 4-5 ounces of Lucas top engine lube when I fill up. Since E85 a dry fuel it adds sone oil back in the mix without harming octane.

So far I'm 25k miles on E with no mechanic issues. Range anxiety is a different sorry .

I also daily my car all year round. For your car you will need to upgrade the injectors at least to a LU47.

 

[Balr14]

The E85 stations around here have a notification posted that it will contain at least 70% ethanol, which I am concerned about.

 

[LOL WUT]

The E85 stations around here have a notification posted that it will contain at least 70% ethanol, which I am concerned about.

I have many stations list that E content will be 50-80% or some similar range. The ones stating “a minimum of 70%” have been my go to stations for higher content E. I test every fill up and have never seen below 75% from a pump stating “at least 70%”.

For what it’s worth many people seem to think 70% or higher is good for the E85R tune. I personally move to the flex tune if I see E content less than 75%.

 

[LunarS550]

Depends imo. I did the whole NA thing, gradually modded the car for FBO E85. Ran great and loved it for a while, went 12.5 with the MT82 in the 1/4 on street tires and got locked out of 4th gear but the power bug didn’t stop biting. If you ever plan on boosting the car I’d recommend just saving your money and just boost it. If I could go back and do it over again I’d boost it from the beginning. Now I can’t get enough of my P1X ProCharger, absolutely love it.

Sponsored